Tag: thrash
13 Slipknot – All Hope is Gone (Release Year – 2008)
It has been 4 long years since Slipknot’s last studio album. “All Hope is Gone” is rumored to be (say it isn’t so!) their last album. Slipknot’s fan base has swelled to massive proportions over the years, and judging from the live show that I saw by them recently, this is a band that needs to continue.
“All Hope is Gone” pushes Slipknot further away from the Nu metal genre, and more towards the heavy and thrash metal side. This album is extremely heavy. With that being said, most hard rock fans may dislike this, but metal heads will rejoice when they play this.
There are moments where this album is heavy as hell, and there are a couple of songs that seem to fall closer to Corey Taylor’s other band Stone Sour. In fact, the song “Snuff” is an acoustic based song, that is probably the least heavy song Slipknot has ever done. This tune seems to fall much closer to Stone Sour than anything Slipknot has done. I like this tune a lot, but the maggots (Slipknot fans) are going to flip out when they hear this.
One listen to “Sulfer” and I thought wow to myself. What an incredible feast of metal this is. “Psychosocial” might be one of the coolest Slipknot tunes ever. The awesome groove on this tune had me hooked immediately.
Is it just me or do I hear “Metallica’s Enter Sandman” creeping its way into “Dead Memories”? This song sounds like a blend of Metallica and Tool. This song is more of a mainstream metal tune. Some songs on this disc such as “Gehenna”, “Dead Memories”, “Snuff” and “All Hope Is Gone” will get a ton of radio air play. The rest may be far too heavy for terrestrial radio formats.
Is “All Hope is Gone” Slipknot’s best work? While it has some great moments, I don’t think this disc stands up to their album Iowa. While Iowa is still my favorite, I think Slipknot fans will like this. The band hasn’t put out an album this brutal since their 1999 debut.
The sound on All Hope is Gone falls some where in between Iowa and Vol. 3. There are things missing on All Hope is Gone that disappoints me. The cool percussion and drums of Chris Fehn and Shawn Crahan are back on the song “Psychosocial”, but seem to be missing elsewhere. I didn’t hear a lot of samples or use of the turntables on this record either. There are a lot more guitar solos on this record than on past releases which is a nice addition. As a whole, this is Slipknot’s sound moving in a slightly new direction. “All Hope is Gone” is another solid effort and is worth picking up.
For more information on Slipknot, check out their myspace page.
Rating:
Out of 10
Psychosocial
Track Listing:
- .execute.
- Gematria
- Sulfur
- Psychosocial
- Dead Memories
- Vendetta
- Butcher’s Hook
- Gehenna
- This Cold Black
- Wherein Lies Continue
- Snuff
- All Hope Is Gone
Slipknot is:
Sid Wilson – Turntables
Joey Jordison – Drums
Paul Gray – Bass
Chris Fehn – Percussion
Jim Root – Guitars
Craig “133” Jones – Keyboards/samples
Shawn “Clown” Crahan – Percussion
Mick Thomson – Guitars
Corey Taylor – Vocals
1 Believer – Sanity Obscure (Release Year – 1990)
If you are a fan of 80’s style thrash metal, a release that you may have missed the first time around is Believer’s Sanity Obscure.
Singer Kurt Bachman sings like a growling mad Dave Mustaine, after a pack of cigarettes, and fifth of whiskey to wash them down. His vocals take some getting used to, but this will not be a problem for the many thrash metal fans out there.
I have listened to plenty of thrash metal in my time, and still do on occasion, but I never heard of Believer until only recently. What blows my mind is how technically proficient each member of this band is.
Dave Baddorf ‘s guitar riffs are off the hook on this record. Joey Daub’s pounding drum beats keeps the band in time, but assures that their will be headbanging-a-plenty.
If you are a fan of late 80’s thrash, such as early Megadeth, Metallica, Exodus and Slayer, Believer will definitely make a Believer out of you. This CD has been out of print, and was recently re-issued by Metal Mind. Without question, this CD will sell out! Don’t miss getting you copy of a CD, that deserves to be well known in thrash metal history.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Sanity Obscure
2. Wisdom’s Call
3. Nonpoint
4. Idols of Ignorance
5. Stop the Madness
6. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)
7. Dust to Dust
8. Like a Song
Believer is:
Kurt Bachman
Joey Daub
Dave Baddorf
Wyatt Robertson
2 Ultimatum – Into the Pit (Release Year – 2007)
If Thrash Metal is your thing, Ultimatum has released a record that you must seek out!
Ultimatum is a Christian thrash metal band that has been around since 1992. Don’t let the Christian thing fool you! This is 100% pure heavy metal.
Into the Pit features the razor sharp vocals of Scott Waters. His style may not be for everyone, but extreme metal fans are likely going to love this. His style is almost Death Metal like, but unlike many singers who fall into the cookie monster trap, you can understand the lyrics. At times, Waters often reminds me of Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies. Often Into the Pit is a heavy record, that compares sonically to 80’s thrash metal. Fans of bands like Overkill, Testament and some early Metallica, may find something to sink their teeth into here.
On Into the Pit, the guitars are fierce, the lyrics and vocals are intense, and the drum beats are driving and sometimes insanely fast.
I don’t recall any recent albums of this style being this good. Retroactive Records has found one hell of a band with Ultimatum. My favorite cuts on this disc are Heart of Metal, Into the Pit and Game Over. This isn’t usually the style of music that I listen to on a regular basis, but when I want to hear some new thrash metal, I will be grabbing for Ultimatum’s Into The Pit.
Buy Into the Pit and Play it Loud! For more information on Ultimatum, check out their myspace page.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- One for All
- Exonerate
- Deathwish
- Blood Covenant
- Heart of Metal
- Wrathchild
- Transgressor
- Blink
- Blind Faith
- Into the Pit
- Game Over
Ultimatum is:
Scott Waters-Vocals
Robert Gutierrez-Guitar
Rob Whitlock-Bass
Alan Tuma-Drums
1 Overkill Tour Dates!
Veteran New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL will embark on a tour of U.S. and Canada this fall. Support on the trek will come from TOXIC HOLOCAUST and WARBRINGER.
The dates are as follows:Sep. 25 – Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
Sep. 26 – San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
Sep. 27 – Dallas, TX @ Ridglea Theater
Sep. 28 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
Sep. 29 – Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s
Sep. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Brickhouse
Oct. 01 – West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
Oct. 02 – San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
Oct. 03 – Mexicali, MX @ El Jardin
Oct. 04 – Orangevale, CA @ Boardwalk
Oct. 05 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Oct. 06 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Oct. 07 – Spokane, WA @ Big Easy
Oct. 09 – Maplewood, MN @ The Rock
Oct. 10 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Oct. 11 – Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
Oct. 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
Oct. 13 – Toronto, ONT @ El Mocambo
Oct. 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
Oct. 15 – Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
Oct. 16 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Oct. 17 – West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Oct. 18 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Sep. 26 – San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
Sep. 27 – Dallas, TX @ Ridglea Theater
Sep. 28 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
Sep. 29 – Lubbock, TX @ Jake’s
Sep. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Brickhouse
Oct. 01 – West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
Oct. 02 – San Marcos, CA @ Jumping Turtle
Oct. 03 – Mexicali, MX @ El Jardin
Oct. 04 – Orangevale, CA @ Boardwalk
Oct. 05 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Oct. 06 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Oct. 07 – Spokane, WA @ Big Easy
Oct. 09 – Maplewood, MN @ The Rock
Oct. 10 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Oct. 11 – Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
Oct. 12 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
Oct. 13 – Toronto, ONT @ El Mocambo
Oct. 14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
Oct. 15 – Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
Oct. 16 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Oct. 17 – West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Oct. 18 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Tickets will go on sale today exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until April 12, at which point they will be made available through all normal ticketing systems.
6 Metal Blade Gets The Hatchet
Metal Blade Records has just inked a deal with Bay Area thrashers Hatchet! Hatchet is an onslaught of 5 thrash metal fanatics from the San Francisco Bay Area; a starting point for infamous thrash bands like METALLICA, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, and VIO-LENCE just to name a few. Formed by Julz on guitar and Slave behind the drum kit in January 2005, Hatchet was started as the two were fed up with the stale metal scene in their home town. Their desire to create music filled with substance and driving aggression would be enough to help revive a genre that had slowly began to fade away over the years in their hometown.Hatchet will be playing various one off dates until they release their new album in
spring/summer 2008 and will then be on a heavy touring schedule. Head over to the band’s MySpace page to check out some tracks to get a taste of what’s to come!
“It is an honor to be working with Metal Blade, and to be a part of the legacy of amazing artists they have worked with over the years! Together we will help bring Thrash Metal back to the top where it belongs!” – Hatchet
“In a time where thrash is making an awesome comeback, we are stoked to be working with bands that are a part of the rebirth. These guys are young, ruthless and talented and we can’t wait till they rock you like its 1984!” – Metal Blade.
Check out the video below of Hatchet performing Live!
2 Invitro – When I Was A Planet (Released – 2007)
Invitro is the new band featuring featuring ex-Snot and Soulfly guitarist Mikey Doling.
When I Was A Planet is a somewhat entertaining fusion of Punk and Metal.
This sound of Invitro kind of reminds me of Suicidal Tendencies at times. There is a lot of humor in the lyrics which will certainly crack a few smiles with even the toughest hard rock fan.
The heavy sound of this record may not appeal to everyone. Fans of the genre will probably like this, but those looking for a more mainstream hard rock effort, are probably not going to enjoy this record. This album does however have a noteworthy moment.
When I was a Planet is pretty good. The video below is pretty funny! This is the least heavy song on the record, and I like this one quite a bit.
As a whole, I found the album, When I Was A Planet a little too heavy for my taste. If you like your music on the heavier side, check out Invitro. You can find more info on Invitro at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. New Disease
2. King
3. When I Was a Planet
4. Ridiculist
5. Balloon
6. Transfer
7. Stitches
8. Hollyvision
9. Comb Over Party
10. Three-D
11. Lucid May
12. Pre-Prise
13. Lemmy’s Bumps
14. Shark Attack
Hard Rock Hideout 